Emergency Department

Box: 87

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Hills Road,

Cambridge,

CB2 0QQ

 

Telephone: 01223 217 118

Fax: 01223 217 057

 

Who does it serve? | Do you need the Emergency Department or your GP? | What to expect on arrival | Waiting times | Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU) | Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) | Staffing | Patient information leaflets

 

The Emergency Department (ED) at Addenbrooke's operates 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.

 

In May 2006 the Emergency Department became the front door for the Addenbrooke's Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU).

 

The EAU is designed to provide one access point for all emergency patients and incorporates the Medical Assessment Unit (MAU) The EAU deals solely with emergency admissions of all types, both those patients who are referred by their GP or who self present, or are brought in by the East Anglian Ambulance Trust

 

Who does it serve?

 

The Emergency Department serves the local population of south Cambridgeshire as well as adjoining parts of Essex, Hertfordshire and Bedfordshire.

 

Addenbrooke's is a large teaching hospital and has many specialist departments. Patients with severe injuries, in particular major head injuries and/or multiple trauma are increasingly transferred directly to Addenbrooke’s ED, by-passing local emergency departments.

 

 

Do you need the Emergency Department or your GP?

 

The Emergency service will respond immediately to those people who are acutely ill, or have life or limb-threatening problems.

 

The majority of people, however, who attend the Emergency Department have minor, non-life-threatening or non-limb-threatening injuries and illnesses.

 

It is important that people with such minor injuries/illnesses consider which part of the health service is most appropriate for them.

 

Deciding whether to go to the Emergency Department your general practitioner (GP) or using an out of hours doctor service can be difficult, especially when you are worried.

 

The NHS Direct help lines can help people to make decisions about which service is most appropriate for their problem. We have put links to the NHS Direct website at the end of each of our web pages and encourage people to find high-quality information about health issues on this website.

 

> NHS Direct

 

 

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What to expect on arrival

 

When you arrive at the Emergency Department as a patient, after registration, you will be assessed by a nurse who will determine the nature of your illness or injury and how urgent it is for you to be seen.

 

At this assessment patients are allocated to be seen within specialist areas of the ED according to the nature of their injury/illness. These areas and examples of the types of patients they see are found below:

High Dependency

E.g. Stroke, breathing difficulties, severe abdominal pain.

 

Resuscitation

E.g. Severe trauma, heart attack, unconscious patients.

 

Low Dependency

E.g. Abdominal pain, unwell, overdose, Asthma.

 

Minor Injury

E.g. Fractures, lacerations, minor illness.

 

Paediatrics

Any children’s injuries and illness that does not require intensive care

 

As well as doctors specialist nurses with advanced skills in examination, investigation and treatment called Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENP) work in the minor injury area of the ED. Many patients in the minor injury area are seen by the ENP who can treat of a wide range of health problems.

 

Many patients can have some investigations such as blood tests and certain x-rays undertaken before seeing a doctor/ ENP. Not all patients requiring an X-ray will have this done before seeing the doctor/ENP. This will depend on the nature of the injury and the complexity of the problem.

 

 

Waiting times

 

The nurse who assesses you after registration will explain the procedure to you and give you an estimated waiting time. How long you will have to wait will depend on the number of patients attending at the time and the complexity of their problems. Priority is obviously given to those people who need immediate attention, and this can affect the waiting time for people with less urgent problems. Please ask any nursing staff if you are unsure of the waiting time.

 

 

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Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU)

 

In May 2006 the Emergency Assessment Unit (EAU) opened. This was the culmination of several years work to re-organise emergency access at Addenbrooke’s. The broad concept was to bring all emergency admissions through one front door where rapid access to investigations such as x-ray and blood tests would assist medical staff to see, treat, admit or discharge patients within the national 4 hour timescale.

 

A new 5 storey building has been built next to the Emergency department which contains the Clinical Decision Unit (CDU), with 8 beds, a children’s observation unit with 5 beds, a surgical short stay ward with 26 beds and a short stay medical ward with 26 beds.

 

There is office space for the START team, thrombosis treatment team and consulting rooms for paediatric and medical rapid referral clinics.

 

Existing space within the Emergency Department was upgraded to include 9 additional trolley spaces and seating area. Each trolley area has dedicated monitoring equipment.

 

Clinical Decision Unit (CDU)

 

The Emergency Department has a Clinical Decision Unit (CDU) with six beds adjacent to it. Approximately 1700 people are admitted to this ward each year. It provides a valuable service for people who require a short period of observation and recovery before they can safely return home. However, patients who are acutely ill or injured and need to stay in hospital may be admitted to one of the short stay wards within the EAU. The short stay wards admit patients for anything between 48 to 96 hours. If a patient’s stay is expected to be longer then they are admitted to a ward within the main Hospital.

 

 

Staffing in the Emergency Department

 

 

Doctors

There are six Consultants in Emergency Medicine working in the Emergency Department. They support the specialist registrars who are training to become consultants, and senior house officers (who change every six months).

 

 

Emergency Nurse Practitioners (ENP)

Nurses who have undertaken further training to equip them with advanced skills in examination, investigation and diagnostic skills. They are able to manage a wide range of health problems without reference to a doctor and are able to discharge or refer patients to appropriate specialties.

 

 

Nurses

The emergency nurses role has expanded greatly. Many of the nurses are able to request X-rays, supply medicines (particularly pain relief). Senior nurse manage each area of the ED and the EAU.

 

 

Physicians Assistants (PA)

The PA has advanced skills in blood taking, putting in drips as well as undertaking ECG heart recordings and many other investigations.

 

 

Other staff

The doctors and nurses are only part of a multidisciplinary team working in the Emergency Department, which includes ward assistants, receptionists, porters, secretaries and cleaners.

 

Patient information leaflets

 

 

Title of leaflet (click to sort)	Service/Dept. (click to sort)	Ref no. (click to sort)
Compression hosiery for the treatment of deep vein thrombosis (DVT)	Emergency Department	PIN 1172
Planned emergency surgery	Emergency Department	PIN 1275
Short stay surgical unit: general anaesthetic information	Emergency Department	PIN 1318
Short stay surgical unit: local anaesthetic information	Emergency Department	PIN 1434
Ketamine – information for parents	Emergency Department	PIN 1165
First seizure	Emergency Department	PIN 2535
Your journey through our department	Emergency Department	PIN 2629

 

 

 

 

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